The Running Shadow
by jobarnes92
Summary: This is just the beginning of Link's well... link... to the world of shadow creatures. This does not follow the plot of Twilight princess. That said, all rights and ownership of characters and trademarked items goes to their respective owners, which is not me. Have fun, read, review, gimme some feedback. This is my first story to post on here, so I'm kinda nervous.
1. Chapter 1

_*** Author's Note: Hey everyone, just to let you guys know, I'm not new on the site, I've just never posted anything... so I'm new here. Heh. Anyway, this is a Link and Midna adventure, for now, we will see where it goes, but this chapter is pretty... dark? Not really, but not something one might expect from an opening chapter. This story is not based off of the storyline of Twilight Princess. That said, this is a story involving characters, names, and other stuff that is not owned by me, and I claim zero ownership, so no copyright infringement intended. Umm... I don't know what else to say... Read, hopefully you enjoy it, review and leave feedback for me, if you would.***_

 **The Running Shadow, Chapter One**

The young man blinked furiously, trying to come to grips with his reality. He heard someone moving around, beyond his blurred vision. He was immediately aware of four things. First thing's first, he was slumped against a cold stone wall on something cold and made of stone… the floor, obviously. Second thing. He had metal shackles on his wrists and ankles. He moved his legs, seeing how far the chains would reach, giving up before he found the limit. He heard frantic whispering somewhere in the shadows. The third thing he noticed was a pressure in his ears. He was either very high up, or very deep underground. And fourth, perhaps the most important thing he noticed… his eyes were closed. Yet he had no power to open them. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, his eyes wouldn't open. He heard footsteps coming closer and decided to be still. He heard the footsteps stop in front of him, and he felt something warm and wet touch his arm. He winced, but didn't flinch away, just prepared himself for the worst. He heard a shrill, childlike giggle, then the young man gasped as the cold chains popped off of his wrist, relieving the pressure there. The first thing he did with his new members is raise them to his eyes, finding a cloth over them.

 _A blindfold, eh? Geez, why didn't I notice that?_ He thought.

He ripped the cloth off and looked up at his savior. Quite literally up, for… it… was floating in midair, looking down at him. He couldn't tell exactly _what_ it was, but his instincts told him not to trust it. It looked to be a rather chubby, deformed child, but its skin… its skin was all wrong… instead of the usual tone of peach, or even tan, this creature was… patterned. Half of the creature was grey, and the other half was a very odd color… a black that was green. Its eyes, or eye, rather, for either it only had one, or the other was hidden under a… well, there's no easy way to explain it. It looked like a crown, made of stone that had crumbled over hundreds of years, and it was fully half the size of the creature. Once it noticed him staring, it gave that shrill, magical giggle again, swirling around in midair.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it was rude to stare… Link?"

He figured that by the pitch and tone of the voice, the creature in front of him was female. He tensed up, hating his luck. He was always awful at communicating with the fairer sex. In fact, he was famous for losing his language skills around women in general, even if they weren't considered by popular opinion to be attractive. Apparently, the circumstances here permitted an exception to his disability.

"I… I'm sorry, but… what are you? And how do you know my name?"

She clutched her chest, but her smile was devious as she snorted derisively, doing another flip in midair.

" _What_ am I? How rude… most people would ask _how_ someone is, not what. As for how I know who you are… Well, I'll just let you use your imagination. If you have one, that is. Now get up, hero. We need to get out of here. I'll help you, but you have to trust me."

She looked over, seeing him still leaned against the wall, pulling on his arm frantically.

'Come ON, loser. Let's go!"

He stood up and looked around. When he had been sitting, giant piles of rubble had been blocking his view, but now that he was standing, he saw clearly that he was in a jail cell, and the piles of rubble… were bodies, male and female, human, monster and animal, all at varying stages of decomposition. He took a shaky breath as he felt his throat tighten, looking away so that he didn't puke. He swallowed, mustering his courage as he looked at the little… creature. He still wasn't ready to call it a girl yet. He looked everywhere but the bodies, walking slowly towards the door, then hearing a slithering sound, he jumped back behind a pile of bodies as something dark and twisted came into view. It had a body similar to a vine monster, but its head was flat, and it turned it from side to side as if scanning for something. Sensing nothing, it disappeared back into the shadows. Link had had enough of being pressed against the decaying corpses, bile filling his throat as he closed his eyes and thought of something else when the creature spoke again.

"Okay, looks like they have shadows as guards. They'll kill you as soon as look at you, so we'll have to find another way out."

He sighed and sat down cross legged on the stone floor, his eyes and mouth still tightly closed as he rocked back and forth tersely.

"Wow, some hero you are…"

He opened his eyes at this, his anger overcoming his logic.

"I never claimed to be a hero. That was all you. You never told me your name, why you called me a hero…"

He lapsed back into silence as he kept rocking, his nerves about to snap.

"Well, I can teleport us out of here, would that help?"

He looked at her, slightly disgusted, both with his environment and his realization that she had hidden that from him the entire time. He nodded his head slightly, not wanting to move too much. She giggled again, twirling in midair and floating in a circle around him. He didn't pay her any attention, because that would just make him dizzy and increase his urge to vomit. Instead, he looked at the ceiling and saw a black and green shape form there before his very eyes. He looked at the creature, panicked, only to see her disintegrate. He reached out for her, but he saw himself disintegrating too.


	2. Chapter 2

He reached out for the disintegrating creature in front of him, panicking slightly. And why shouldn't he? She was his only way out. He had no weapons, no armor, and no way to know where he was. She looked at his frantic face with a smug smile, moving further away from him. He could see chunks of his arm and chest floating up past his eyes, entering the portal. He swallowed and resigned himself to stay strong, despite the fact that he was absolutely terrified. He steeled his resolve and stood up, looking at the creature. Or what was left of her, anyways, which was the bottoms of her legs. He closed his eyes and felt a tingly feeling, then his stomach dropped as he felt like he was falling. He opened his eyes and put his arms out to catch his balance, only to see himself in his house, on the floor next to his bed. He sat up, propping himself up with his left arm as he rubbed his face with his other hand, looking down at himself. He was wearing pajamas. __

 _Was that a dream? How odd… Now, what would possess my mind to think up something like that?_ He wondered, blinking and taking a shaky breath to calm himself. He cracked his neck and stood up, undressing and getting into his traditional green clothing, putting his bed clothes on his table, folded up. He whistled to himself as he climbed the ladder to the lower part of his residence, walking to the kitchen area and heating up some water for tea, then putting his boots on. _I have to go into town and get more food._ He thought, looking at the bare shelves where his rations usually were. His stomach growled audibly and he made a face, picking up his wallet and putting it in its pouch on his belt, sighing at himself as he went to the stove, mixing his morning tea and drinking it slowly as not to burn himself. He thought back on his dream, the cup lightly touching his lips. He finished it, then stood up, walking to the door, taking the sword off of the wall next to it and smiling at it fondly before walking out, closing and locking the door behind him, climbing the ladder to the yard, then strolling into town.

He passed a group of children that normally convened in his yard, pointing at his targets and talking excitedly about a slingshot they had seen in the shop in town. He smiled and kept walking. Of course he didn't mind if the kids used the targets, and it kept the rabbits away from his garden, because they would defend it, he knew. He was spacing out on the way there and as a result, bumped into someone. He reeled back, looking up and stammering out an apology as he saw the town's swordsman, Rusl. Rusl smiled at him and shook his head. Link sighed in relief and looked at the big man, who had an odd expression on his face.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo, I was actually coming to check on you. I haven't seen you in a few days, where have you been?"

Link cocked his head, confused. He had just talked to Rusl yesterday, and thanked him for repairing his sword. He looked back at the children, who had gone silent after watching the two having conversation.

"I'm not sure I follow, sir. What do you mean?"

He noticed Rusl back up a step, his stance changing ever so slightly. Nothing that you would notice, but the look in Rusl's eyes was distrust. Link noticed that for sure. Rusl's hand edged toward the hilt of his sword, brushing it, but not grabbing it, which Link was grateful for. There was no way he had enough experience to beat the man in a full on fight. The burly man opened his mouth to speak, his voice tense, all the friendship had drained from it.

"Last chance, boy. I don't know what kind of stunt you're pulling, but you'd better explain. Those shadow monsters attacked the village. You were there, and you killed a few of them. One of them knocked you out and took you with them to that portal in the sky. So last chance, Link. Explain." Rusl unsheathed his sword in one smooth motion, the blade barely making a sound. He brandished it in front of him, the blade straight and aimed at link. Link noticed that Rusl's eyes didn't flinch, didn't have any regret. That was one thing that Link had always admired about the man. Whatever Rusl did, he did with all of his being.

 _So it wasn't a dream, then. But if what Rusl says is true, why don't I remember fighting them in the village? Why don't I remember how I got into that prison cell? Wait… how did I get out? How did I get to my house? What's going on here?_ Link backed up a step and changed his stance as well, to a non-threatening one. Link raised his hands to show that he was unarmed, spreading his fingers and gesturing for Rusl to calm himself. He decided to tell a partial truth.

"Well, if I'm being completely honest with you, I don't even know what happened, sir… I remember going into town yesterday, thanking you for repairing my sword, and then… I don't know what happened. The next thing I remember is waking up in a jail cell surrounded by corpses… and then I broke out, killed one of those shadow creatures and then when I woke up again, I was in my bed. I honestly though it was all a dream."

He knew his voice was a little panicked. Of course it was, who's wouldn't be? He had a retired soldier pointing a sword at him and ready to strike, of course he was scared. Sure, he had trained under the man, and was very good with a sword, but nowhere near enough to beat the man in an actual fight. Rusl lowered his sword, but didn't put it away, which was fine with Link, as long as he didn't have to deal with that stress. He sighed and put his arms down, relaxing his shoulders. Rusl was still looking at him in a distrustful manner, and it was making Link uneasy.

"Where were you going, then?"

Link couldn't believe this. Yesterday they had been shaking hands and laughing, Rusl even offered him a beer. But now, it's like he was looking at a completely different person. This man wasn't just distrustful, he was… violent. It's like he _wanted_ Link to attack him, or say the wrong thing. Link was confused by the man's attitude, and the children ran to him and stood between him and the crazed swordsman.

"Link is a good person! You leave him alone, you… you BULLY!"

Link chuckled and put a hand on the two eldest children's shoulders. The children coming to Link's defense seemed to have completely diffused the situation, because Rusl straightened and sheathed his sword, nodding respectfully and turning around before speaking.

"Listen, Link… I'm glad you're safe, I was just making sure that those monsters didn't get in your head. I'm sorry for being so rash, these are hard times, and I didn't know what to think."

Link smiled at the man, walking up to him and patting his shoulder. Rusl didn't flinch, which was a good sign.

"No worries, old man. I'm still me."

Rusl rolled his eyes and fully relaxed. No one called him old man besides Link and got away with it. He chuckled and went to cuff the boy on the back of the head, but Link had ducked and ran towards the village, laughing. Rusl smiled softly, nodding in approval. The boy had truly conquered the darkness inside of him, whether he was aware of it or not. He smiled proudly, then looked down and patted his sword affectionately, smiling at the kids before following the green clad teen into town, some distance away.

Link strolled into town, looking around cautiously. After his meeting with Rusl, he knew what the others must think of him. Seeing the cautious glances of the townsfolk, he knew that they all felt the same as Rusl. Usually he would have stopped to talk to some of them, but today he lowered his gaze and walked a bit faster until he reached the shop, tugging the wooden door open anxiously and slipping in, closing the door behind him. He felt another pair of eyes on him, but he sighed in relief. The glowing green eyes held no hostility as they gazed into his hazel ones. Link chuckled and walked to the counter, dropping an affectionate pat on Sera's cat, Link. The little fuzzball looked deep into his eyes and meowed loudly. Link smiled and scratched the cat behind the ears as the owner of the store watched from the shadows.

"My little kitty knows the difference between humans and monsters, don't ya, little Link? If my little one trusts you, then so do I, Link. Ignore the others, they will see the light inside you soon, they're just worried."

Sera patted the cats head, then smiled warmly at the human Link, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently as his stomach growled loudly. His face flushed and he let he hand go, putting one hand on his stomach.

"Well, what can I do you for, hero? You sound hungry."

"Yes, ma'am. Just came for some groceries. The usual will do me fine."

She chuckled and got some things together behind the counter, putting a medium sized crate on the counter and filling it with various foodstuffs. She whistled as she worked, handing him a jar of soup, probably to hold him over until he got home. He took it graciously and opened it, consuming it quickly, letting out a sigh and licking his lips clean, setting it back on the counter, getting his wallet open, seeing that his crate was full. He glanced to the back wall and saw the slingshot that the kids were discussing this morning, and he paused, biting his lip and taking out two purple Rupees. Sera looked at him curiously, and he nodded to the back wall, asking shyly,

"How much for the slingshot?"

Sera widened her eyes at him, then smiled, shaking her head at him. "That's 30 Rupees… What are you doing, buying a slingshot, you naughty thing? You're too old for toys! Will you at least let the children play with it?"

After nodding, she puts it in the crate and he hands her the two purple Rupees. She hands him a red Rupee back, shooing him out. He chuckles softly and walks out, closing the door behind him gently with his foot. As he heads to his house, he noticed that there was no one around when he came out of Sera's Sundries, and thought that it was odd. _Oh well, at least I don't have to deal with all the hostility and suspicion, I can just go home and eat breakfast in peace._

When he got home, he put his food away, making sure to eat his breakfast, then heading out, looking for Epona. She wasn't in his yard. He cursed softly, jumping down and rolling to inspect the ground for tracks, and found some. He's glad that someone decided to take care of her, if he really was gone for a few days. He followed the tracks, thinking to himself, contemplating to himself as he ran. _How was I gone for days without even knowing it? I was only in that prison for a few minutes… Where was I? Who was that thing that helped me?_ He growled to himself, having no answers to any of those questions. He was just a simple man, he worked the goats, trained under the swordsman, and ran errands in his free time. He followed the tracks into the local spring, and stopped in his tracks. He saw Ilia with Epona, caring for her. Behind them, the spring. Time froze, and everything went dark as a great beast rose from the spring. He couldn't tell what it was, it looked like a wolf with goat horns. He trembled and unsheathed his sword, but felt that the creature wasn't evil. Link jumped between Ilia and the creature, leveling his sword at the beast. The thing spoke with a soothing, powerful voice, and sent tremors through Link as it looked into his eyes.

"Fear not, young hero. I am not thine enemy. You have already encountered our mutual enemy in the darkness, and survived. You must warn the Princess of this enemy. Tell her that Ordana has sent you with grave news."

Link opened his mouth to respond, but everything had gone back to normal, and he looked around, confused, shouting out.

"Why me? I'm not special!"

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and turned to face Ilia. His eyes grew soft as they lit upon her countenance, concern and curiosity etched on her gentle face as she raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"Link… when did you get here? Who are you talking to, and… why is your sword out?"

Link looked away from her, putting his sword away and blushing furiously, looking at the ground and standing still. He cursed in his head, wondering what had happened. He looked into her eyes, smirking shyly and putting his hand on hers. His heart beat faster as he opened his mouth.

"H-Hey Ilia… sorry about all that. I just saw something a little odd, is all…"

Ilia's eyes widened in surprise and she stepped back, looking at him in astonishment.

"You… you just spoke…"

He smiled softly and walked around her, getting on his beautiful horse and turning her around gently, shrugging apologetically and trotting off without an explanation. He urged Epona into a gallop and steeled himself for the long road to Castle Town. He had another errand to run.


End file.
